ABOUT PAUL CAMERON
By David Williams
[The following is excerpted from a larger study which I did in 1993-1994 on
two tabloids passed out by a local right wing group during the 1993 primary
and general election campaigns in Louisville to help defeat several
candidates who had expressed a pro-gay viewpoint and/or had been endorsed by
a local gay and lesbian PAC. Much of the information contained in these
tabloids was based on the faulty research of Paul Cameron. For a complete
copy of this report, send a $15 donation to: Williams-Nichols Institute,
Inc., PO Box 4264, Louisville, KY 40204. Donations are fully
tax-deductible].
Numbers in parentheses indicate endnotes, which are printed after the text.
3.1 DR. PAUL CAMERON: EARLY CAREER
When I first began meeting other gay men in the Louisville area in the early
1970s, I quickly became friends with a student at the University of
Louisville who was working on an education degree. In order to graduate, he
was required to take a psychology course.
One evening I remember him talking about a moral quandary he was having. His
psychology professor was making horrendous comments in class about
homosexuals--and expecting his students to support his views in classroom
discussions and tests. The alternative? Flunking the course or getting a
bad grade. My friend eventually gave his teacher what he wanted, but the
experienced disturbed him tremendously.
I don't know if this professor was Paul Cameron, but he was teaching at the
University of Louisville about that time, and I have no reason to believe
that the teacher in question was not Cameron.
Paul Drummond Cameron, a born-again Christian, was born in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania on November 9, 1939 (1). After attending schools in California,
he received his doctorate from the University of Colorado in 1966.
>From the late 60s to the early 80s, he taught at many different colleges,
including Stout State University in Menomonie, Wisconsin (1966-1967); Wayne
State University (1967- 1969); the University of Evansville, Indiana
(1969-1970); the University of Louisville (1970- 1973 (2); St. Mary's College
in Maryland (1973-1976); and Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena,
California. By the early 1980s, he was teaching at the University of
Nebraska at Lincoln. At last report he was still licensed as a psychologist
in Nebraska.
While he was at the University of Louisville, the Gay Liberation Front was
becoming active on campus, and the student newspaper, "The Cardinal," printed
many gay-supportive articles. But we could find no evidence of any public
reactions by Cameron to these activities.
Cameron published many studies during the 1970s, most of them dealing with
topics other than homosexuality: a study on pet ownership (3), another on
the life-satisfaction of the wealthy (4), and others on seemingly innocuous
subjects. To his credit, he was one of the first to warn of the dangers of
second-hand smoke. But in amongst these studies were a few which hint of a
more ominous undercurrent.
In 1970, he published a study on what college students talk about. Students
were asked to eavesdrop on the unguarded conversations of other
undergraduates and record the words and topics they heard (5). In 1971, he
published a study entitled "Happiness or Life- Satisfaction of the
Malformed," a study, in the authors' own words, of 144 handicapped and 151
"normal" persons (6). In fairness, until the 1970s there was less
sensitivity among the general public to terms such as "malformed." On the
other hand, it seems that educated professionals could have demonstrated more
awareness than the general public.
One of the more telling studies of this period, in light of Cameron's future
career, was an article in "Psychological Reports" on how answers to
questionnaires can be affected by interviewers who pretend to endorse the
questions they ask (7). The abstract for this article note that "Random
telephone interviews and quota personal interviews indicated that substantial
changes in opinion (on the order of about 13%) could be effected."
3.2 PAUL CAMERON AND THE GAY RIGHTS MOVEMENT
In the early 1980s, Cameron found his life's work in the field of
homosexuality. A sea change was sweeping through American and world
politics. The country's political climate had changed dramatically from the
anarchy of 1965-1977. Jimmy Carter's disastrous presidency confirmed the
views of many voters that the Democratic Party was out of touch with the
mainstream of society. Voters were tired of instability and hoped for a
return to "traditional values." In 1980, a new conservative coalition
succeeded in electing Ronald Reagan to the presidency.
In such a conservative climate, Paul Cameron's career was ripe for expansion.
In a lengthy article in 1981 in the "Journal of Psychology & Theology," he
blasted the American Psychiatric and Psychological Associations' liberal
stand on homosexuality, claiming that homosexuality tends towards lethality
(evil) and away from social cohesion and respect for human life. He also
said that homosexuals were self-endangering (8).
The following year, he helped defeat a gay rights ordinance in Lincoln,
Nebraska in a campaign marked by a great deal of fear, hysteria, and
homophobia. By the mid-1980s, he had established his own anti-gay group, the
Institute for the Scientific Investigation of Sexuality (or ISIS; re-named
the Family Research Institute in 1987 and now based in Washington, DC) (9).
By 1985, "The Advocate," this country's most prominent gay and lesbian
newsmagazine, was already warning that he "just may be the most dangerous
antigay voice in the United States today." (10)
Since then he has touted himself as an expert on homosexuality, and his
research has formed the basis for much of the anti-gay material being used
today by conservative organizations around the country to combat the gay
rights movement, including "The Gay Agenda," a widely disseminated videotape.
Cameron wasn't the most dangerous anti-gay voice in America, just one of the
first.
His main message, as delineated in one of his pamphlets, "What Homosexuals
Do, Its [sic] More than Merely Disgusting," is that homosexuality is a crime
against humanity. He regularly refers to gay men as "anus-lickers" and
"feces-eaters" without shame.
A typical idea is his "Citizen Checklist of Opportunities to Halt the Spread
of AIDS," which he developed in the 1980s. Among his recommendations were to
keep discussion of "alternate lifestyles" out of schools; close gay bars and
bath houses; prohibit homosexual advertising in the media (including
"personals" ads); criminalize homosexual practices (in the interest of public
health); and quarantine all known homosexual practitioners "until the public
health emergency is over." He compared AIDS to rabies (11).
In his endeavors, he has even enlisted his own son, Kirk, a statistician
(12). Unfortunately, if Cameron is reporting his son's statistical research
accurately, then the reputation of both is irreparably damaged.
3.3 THE LINCOLN HUMAN RIGHTS AMENDMENT
Given later revelations about Cameron's tactics, his antics during a campaign
to defeat a gay rights ordinance in Lincoln, Nebraska in 1982 are most
revealing.
At the height of the campaign, Cameron told an audience at the University of
Nebraska Lutheran Chapel that "Right now here in Lincoln there is a 4
year-old boy who has had his genitals almost severed from his body at Gateway
in a restroom with a homosexual act" (13).
Scott Stebelman, Cochair of Lincoln's Coalition for Gay and Lesbian Civil
Rights during the 1982 referendum campaign, was there when Cameron made this
astounding claim. "Everybody in the audience was outraged," he recalled
later, "and we were caught off guard because we had never heard anything like
this. We knew he was wacko but never expected him to invent facts that could
be challenged" (14).
When two newspapers independently investigated his story, however, they could
find no basis for it. The local police were also baffled as to the story's
origin. When the "Lincoln Star" finally confronted Cameron, he admitted that
the rumor was without foundation but went onto insist that it "could be true"
(15).
The "Lincoln Star" later blasted Cameron in a scathing editorial:
"A leading opponent of the proposed Lincoln Human Rights Amendment spreads
rumors of an alleged vicious incident calculated to damage the proposal's
chances at the polls. When asked about it, he admits the rumor was without
foundation. He refused to say from whom he heard the rumor. He says he will
not use the rumor again unless he finds it to be true. Nonetheless, he still
insists it 'could be true,' even through [sic] responsible authorities in the
city say there is not a shred of evidence such an incident ever took place.
The seed is planted, to the contrary" (16).
Cameron would later claim flippantly that "It appears that my informant made
a mistake. At worst I trusted someone whom I shouldn't have. Small beer"
(17). But Lincoln's struggling gay rights movement was irreparably damaged.
Cameron "skillfully conducted a campaign of hate, playing up fears about
molestation and recruitment of children by homosexuals," according to
Stebelman (18). Despite the media's revelations, Lincoln voters voted down
the gay rights ordinance four to one, and Cameron felt vindicated. Lincoln
still does not have a gay rights ordinance.
But gays and lesbians in Lincoln, Nebraska would not be Cameron's only
victims. He also helped to defeat another gay rights ordinance in Houston in
January 1984 by passing out his pamphlets and making outrageous claims to
whoever would listen to him. Sue Lovell, president of the Houston Gay
Political Caucus, complained that "Who's to think that someone with a
doctor's title in front of his name would tell you a lie?" (19)
Fortunately, the professional community soon caught wind of his activities.
3.4 CAMERON'S NATIONAL SURVEY
Of all of Cameron's work, perhaps his own national sexual survey from the
mid-1980s has received more criticism in professional circles than any other.
He has used this study in numerous articles and, as we will see, it turned
up as a reference for some of the charges in Frank Simon's tabloids in
Louisville in 1993. He continued to cite it as the basis for claims he made
on "Geraldo" in late 1993 (20). Whenever frightening claims about homosexual
sex habits or child molestation are reported in pamphlets, videotapes, or
other materials, chances are the information has been taken from this single
study. As propaganda, it has taken on a life of its own; as information,
however, it is stunningly useless (21).
Most astounding, Cameron himself has admitted publicly that he developed his
ideas about homosexuality before he gathered his evidence, rather than
proceeding from the evidence to the conclusions, as most researchers are
trained to do (22).
Cameron and others performed the study in 1983 in Los Angeles, Denver, Omaha,
Louisville, and Washington, DC in addition to smaller pilot studies in
Bennett, Nebraska and Rochester, New York. Interviewers knocked on doors in
those cities and handed a 550-item questionnaire to the first adult who
answered; adult males were preferred. Interviews were not conducted
face-to-face, as most such surveys are, and some questionnaires were
retrieved up to one week later.
The preface to the questionnaire noted in part that "This survey will be put
to a number of significant legislative and judicial uses" without delineating
specifics.
Some of the questions seem rather odd: "With how many homosexual virgins
have you had homosexual relations?" (How many people would ask that of their
sexual partners?) Question #3 asked how the respondent felt about sharing
toilet facilities with a homosexual. The multiple choice answers included
one that said, "Very positive, I'd enjoy it greatly." Question #51 asked
whether anyone had ever made "serious sexual advances" to the respondent
without defining what that phrase meant. "The flippant, almost comical tone
of this and other items," Scott Stebelman charged, "might have discouraged
serious respondents from participating in the project" (23)
Indeed, the sampling method, by professional standards, was quite unusual.
As two of his former colleagues noted, "What we have then is an extremely
lengthy questionnaire, dealing with highly personal matter and with no cited
reliability or validity data, being distributed door-to-door by strangers.
In no respectable community of survey researchers would this be
characterized as scientific" (24). In each city, the police were called at
least once. They also noted that some people enjoy having a bit of fun with
researchers and do not always respond truthfully. Because no face-to-face
interviews were performed, there is a distinct possibility that many
respondents simply faked their answers. And Cameron did not explain why
Omaha, with a population of 300,000, and Los Angeles, with a population of
4,000,000, had approximately the same number of respondents: between 900 and
1000.
Cole and Brown cited numerous other problems as well, not the least of which
was Cameron's by-then well-known homophobia. In the end they rebuked the
"Nebraska Medical Journal" for publishing it: "It is unfortunate that the
good name of The Nebraska Medical Journal will now be cited by Cameron et al.
in the future to give credibility to sloppy research at best and gross
misrepresentation at worst...." (25)
Yet Cameron continues to purvey statements and statistics which cite this
horribly botched survey as their source. The general public, little
understanding the problems in Cameron's methods, see only the Ph.D. behind
his name and consider him an expert.
3.5 PROFESSIONAL REBUKE
A. Nicholas Groth, the nationally respected Director of the Sex Offender
Program at the Connecticut Department of Correction, soon heard how Cameron
was abusing his studies in a pamphlet entitled "Child Molestation and
Homosexuality." He complained to the Nebraska Board of Examiners of
Psychologists that Cameron
"...misrepresents my findings and distorts them to advance his homophobic
views. I make a very clear distinction in my writing between pedophilia and
homosexuality, noting that adult males who sexually victimize young boys are
either pedophilic or heterosexual, and that in my research I have not found
homosexual men turning away from adult partners to children."
"I consider this totally unprofessional behavior on the part of Dr. Cameron
and I want to bring this to your attention. He disgraces his profession."(26)
Professional organizations also began to express their alarm. In 1982, the
Nebraska Psychological Association, of which Cameron was a member, censured
Cameron and would do so again in October 1984. The Midwest Sociological
Society, of which he was a member, censured him in April 1985, and the
American Sociological Association and the Society for the Study of Social
Problems both passed resolutions in August 1985 recommending "a critical
evaluation of, and public response to, his work." He was also censured by
"The New York Times" and "The Los Angeles Times," and the "MacNeil- Lehrer
Report" declined to invite him on the air in September 1985 after gay and
lesbian activists informed them of his homophobic views.
Perhaps the most stinging rebuke, however, came in December 1983 after six of
his colleagues at the University of Nebraska complained about his distortions
of gay-related research. The American Psychological Association (APA)
expelled him (27).
This expulsion is of particulate note because of the deceptive way in which
Cameron has publicly characterized it. According to Cameron, he was expelled
after he resigned in good standing, with no charges pending against him,
because he refused to cooperate with the Committee on Scientific and
Professional Ethics and Conduct (28).
But like many groups, the APA does not permit a member to resign during an
investigation; otherwise, guilty members would always resign rather than face
expulsion. Cameron was already under investigation by the APA's ethics
committee when he submitted his resignation in November 1982. The
resignation was not accepted.
Cameron has continually taunted the APA to explain why he was expelled. But
since the APA is not even allowed, under its own rules of confidentiality, to
publicly acknowledge that Cameron was dropped (although individual APA
members can reveal that they received the announcement of an expulsion),
Cameron can continue to claim, with impunity, that he resigned (29).
If the censure of his own colleagues and the media weren't enough, Judge
Jerry Buschmeyer of Texas, ruling against Texas' sodomy law in "Baker v.
Wade" in 1984, charged that Cameron made misrepresentations to his court:
"His own statement that 'homosexuals are approximately 43 times more apt to
commit crimes than is the general population' is a total distortion of the
Kinsey data upon which he relies--which, as is obvious to anyone who reads
the report, concerns data from a non- representative sample of delinquent
homosexuals....His sworn statement that 'homosexuals abuse children at a
proportionately greater incident than do heterosexuals' is based upon the
same distorted data...." (30)
Buschmeyer's decision was later overturned, allowing Cameron once again to
feel personally vindicated (31). But Texas courts have continued to wrangle
with the sodomy law ever since.
Cameron has worn these problems like a badge of honor, particularly his
expulsion by the APA, this country's premiere psychological association. "A
person's worth is to a degree measured in terms of who dislikes him," he told
"The Advocate" in 1985: an apt motto for his homophobic career.
Perhaps because he was offending the same people whose views differed
substantially from the conservative religious movement's, Cameron found a
ready audience with many conservative groups around the country after 1982.
Over the last twelve years, he has been invited around the country to speak
to many political and religious leaders as well as church groups. In august
1985, he even managed to get hired briefly by conservative Republican
Congressman William E. Dannemeyer of California as a consultant on AIDS. He
also spread his message to New Zealand and Australia during this period.
3.6 PAUL CAMERON AND LOUISVILLE
His first known appearance in Louisville was in 1986 at the invitation of
Citizens for Decency Through Law, a now-defunct anti-pornography group headed
by Lily Bifone (last said to be living in San Diego). Cameron met with
Melissa Mershon, Paul Bather, and other political leaders at a luncheon. His
speech coincided with the height of AIDS hysteria, and many of his comments
were focused on that disease. He suggested that people with AIDS be branded
on their foreheads with the letter "A" in indelible ink, be put under house
arrest, and thrown into prison if they tried to leave. He also claimed--in
spite of what the Centers for Disease Control was saying--that AIDS can be
transmitted through saliva (32).
He returned to Louisville in March 1987 to speak before students at the old
University of Louisville Student Center about "The AIDS Cover-Up." At that
time he said his goal was to "destroy homosexuality." He continued to urge
isolation of gays and people with HIV from the general population. WHAS-TV
recorded vehement arguments among some of his listeners afterwards; Cameron
said he was used to them. Little did he know that most of his audience was
composed of gays and lesbians (33).
He also appeared in Louisville in March 1992 as the Fairness Campaign was
heating up, speaking at various churches, including a pentecostal church in
Jeffersonville, Indiana. According to a press release by the Fairness
Campaign, "Cameron has repeatedly called for quarantine of all homosexuals,
arguing that gay people should be placed under house arrest and that all gay
bars and social institutions should be closed down" (34).
With the advent of numerous anti-gay initiatives across the country, the
conservative movement's love affair with Cameron shows no signs of abating.
3.7 PAUL CAMERON: COMMENTARY
During one of his visits to Louisville, Cameron distributed several pamphlets
developed by his institute. The Kentucky Gay and Lesbian Archives and
Library was given ten of these pamphlets and subsequently performed a
vigorous investigation into claims printed in nine of them (35).
This study found numerous errors in Cameron's research techniques, including:
(1) Sweeping generalizations that could not be supported by the
documentation.
(2) Other extraordinary and outrageous statements and statistics that could
not be supported by the documentation.
(3) Incomplete and misleading documentation.
(4) Internal inconsistencies.
(5) Distortions and even fabrications.
(6) Use of studies, to support his claims, by respected researchers with
whom he vehemently disagreed.
The most notable finding was Cameron's use, in seven of his pamphlets, of
information from a book which he criticized elsewhere as inaccurate and not
worthy of more than a "D-" (36): "Homosexualities," by Alan Bell and Martin
Weinberg, nationally recognized sex researchers at the Kinsey Institute in
Indiana. Cameron used this source more than any other except one--his own.
The greatest irony is that Bell and Weinberg never claimed that their
findings were generalizable to American homosexuals in the first place. Bell
and Weinberg have long been aware of the ways in which Cameron has abused
their work. In 1985, they told "The Advocate" that "For him to use our
figures to estimate differences between homosexuals and heterosexuals across
the board in the general population is ludicrous" (37)
Drs. Robert D. Brown and James K. Cole, former colleagues of Cameron's,
probably put it most succinctly: "Cameron's credibility as a scientist whose
data and data analyses can be trusted has been seriously compromised by
evidence that he has systematically distorted data to support assertions he
has made regarding homosexuality" (38).
Although Cameron's distortions are bad enough, his greatest danger is the
easygoing, calm and confident manner in which he speaks: he sounds as if he
knows what he's talking about.
Dr. Stephen Morin, an openly gay San Francisco psychologist, found Cameron
difficult to deal with. "I have an appointment at the medical school at the
University of California at San Francisco, Division of General and Internal
Medicine," he told "The Advocate." "And he proceeded to argue that the State
of California, by employing me, was sanctioning my lifestyle, and because I
was homosexual, I had AIDS, and therefore the State of California was also
sanctioning my communicating AIDS to all my patients. You see how the logic
goes...he makes an assumption that he has no trouble leaping to and then
leaps to still another assumption he has no problem with" (39).
That such a psychologist would gain the respect of national conservative
leaders like Pat Robertson and writers like Robert Magnuson is remarkable.
But because Cameron has been heavily criticized by some of the same liberal
and humanistic individuals suspected by segments of the conservative movement
as being subversive, he has become, in their eyes, something of a martyr.
His continued success therefore seems assured.
___________________
ENDNOTES
(1) Most of the following biographical information was taken from David
Walinski, "A List of 63 References Noted in Nine Pamphlets Issued by the
Institute for the Scientific Investigation of Sexuality of Lincoln, Nebraska,
with Commentary on Their Usage" (Louisville: unpublished, 1987). Only three
writers have described Cameron as a born- again Christian, but of this there
seems little doubt. See Mab Segrest and Leonard Zeskind, "Quarantines and
Death: The Far Right's Homophobic Agenda" (Atlanta: Center for Democratic
Renewal, 1989, pp. 19-20); and Dave Walter, "Paul Cameron," "The Advocate,"
October 29, 1985, pp. 28-32. He is believed to have appeared on Pat
Robertson's "PTL club" on several occasions and was last seen in the audience
on "Geraldo," debating whether a lesbian mother from Virginia should have the
right to custody of her child ("Geraldo," September 29, 1993, 12:00 Noon,
Chicago: WGN-TV. See Tape No. 31, Item 31 in the Kentucky Gay and Lesbian
Archives).
(2) One source lists 1970-1976, but this appears to be wrong.
(3) "Psychological Correlates of Pet Ownership," "Psychological Reports,"
Vol. 30, No. 1, February 1972, p. 286. With M. Mattson. Some of his
conclusions were that pet owners are psychologically less healthy than
non-pet owners; they tend to feel less well-regarded by others; and they
value religion less.
(4) "Social Stereotypes: 3 Faces of Happiness," "Psychology Today," Vol. 8,
No. 3 August 1974, pp. 62-64. This study concluded that the more well-to-do
felt themselves to be happier than those who were not. This conclusion was
criticized in several subsequent letters to the editor, November 1974.
(5) "The Words College Students Use and What They Talk About," "Journal of
Communication Disorders," Vol. 3, No. 1, June 1970, pp. 36-46.
(6) "Happiness or Life-Satisfaction of the Malformed," "Proceedings of the
Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association," Vol. 6, Part 2,
1971, pp. 641-642. With D. Van Hoeck, N. Weiss, and M. Kostin.
(7) "Effects of Introductory Phrases and Tonal-Facial Suggestions Upon
Question-Elected Responses," "Psychological Reports," Vol. 22, No. 1, 1968,
pp. 233-234. With J. Anderson.
(8) "Social Psychological Aspects of the Judeo-Christian Stance Toward
Homosexuality," "Journal of Psychology & Theology," Vol. 9, No. 1, Spring
1981, pp. 40-57. With K.P. Ross.
(9) ISIS became a committee within the Family Research Institute thereafter.
(10) Walter, Ibid., p. 28.
(11) Institute for the Scientific Investigation of Sexuality (ISIS),
"Homosexuality and the AIDS Threat to the Nation's Blood Supply" (ISIS:
Lincoln, Nebraska, 1985). See also "Who Is Paul Cameron? (and why is he
saying those awful things?)," press release of unknown origins, no date
(probably 1985), provided by GLHRC to the Kentucky Gay and Lesbian Archives
in 1986; and Walter, Ibid.
(12) Kirk Cameron's first known collaboration with his father is in Paul
Cameron, William Coburn, Jr., Helen Larson, Kay Proctor, Nels Forde, and Kirk
Cameron, "Child Molestation and Homosexuality," "Psychological Reports," Vol.
58, 1986, pp. 327-337, a study which uses Paul Cameron's thoroughly
discredited survey from earlier in the decade.
(13) The "Lincoln Star" obtained a tape recording of this assertion and
printed it in its edition of May 6, 1982. See also "Lincoln Journal," May 6,
1982. Most of the citations for these newspaper stories are taken from a
letter to the editor of the "Nebraska Medical Journal" by two former
colleagues of Cameron's, Robert D. Brown and James K. Cole, November 1985,
pp. 410-414. Cameron later blasted them for their criticisms of his work,
but we have no reason to doubt Brown and Cole's higher reliability.
(14) Walter, Ibid., p. 29.
(15) "Lincoln Star," "Cameron Used False Report," May 8, 1982. Another
rumor said that a 7-year-old had been molested, and still another that the
14-year-old son of a prominent Lincoln family had been involved. None of
them had any basis in fact, and the source of the rumors was never found.
(16) "Lincoln Star," May 10, 1982, as reported in Brown and Cole, Ibid.
(17) Paul Cameron, Letter to the Editor, "Nebraska Medical Journal," March
1986, pp. 76- 81. He had also told this to newspaper reporters in Lincoln
shortly after the incident took place. See Brown and Cole, Ibid. Cameron
also claimed in this letter that no paper had covered or reported on his
speech at the time. But the speech has been reported by at least two
different sources--Stebelman, and Brown and Cole--which we believe to be
reliable. And it was also the subject of a scathing editorial in the
"Lincoln Star" one week later. Either Cameron's memory is faulty, or he is
lying.
(18) Walter, Ibid.
(19) Walter, Ibid.
(20) "Geraldo," Ibid.
(21) It seems to have been first used in Paul Cameron, Ph.D., Kay Proctor,
B.A., William Coburn, Jr., M.D., and Nels Forde, Ph.d., "Sexual Orientation
and Sexually Transmitted Disease," "Nebraska Medical Journal," August 1985,
pp. 292-299. Part of the Abstract reads: "Homosexuals appear to contribute
no less than 15% of the nation's STDs and probably act as a significant
vector in generating additional fractions to the STD pool."
(22) "Geraldo," Ibid.
(23) Scott Stebelman, Letter to the Editor, "Nebraska Medical Journal,"
October 1985, pp. 380-381.
(24) Brown and Cole, Ibid.
(25) Ibid.
(26) Letter to the Nebraska Board of Examiners of Psychologists, August 21,
1984, as quoted in Walter, Ibid.
(27) Cameron was expelled for a violation of the Preamble to APA's "Ethical
Principles of Psychologists," which reads: "Psychologists respect the
dignity and worth of the individual and strive for the preservation and
protection of fundamental human rights. They are committed to increasing
knowledge of human behavior and of people's understanding of themselves and
others and to the utilization of such knowledge for the promotion of human
welfare. While pursuing these objectives, they make every effort to protect
the welfare of those who seek their services and of the research participants
that may be the object of study. They use their skills only for purposes
consistent with these values and do not knowingly permit their misuse by
others. While demanding for themselves freedom of inquiry and communication,
psychologists accept the responsibility this freedom requires: competence,
objective in the application of skills, and concern for the best interests of
clients, colleagues, students, research participants, and society. In the
pursuit of these ideals psychologists subscribe to principles in the
following areas: (1) Responsibility, (2) Competence, (3) Moral and Legal
Standards, (4) Public Statements, (5) Confidentiality, (6) Welfare of the
Consumer, (7) Professional Relationships, (8) Assessment Techniques, (9)
Research With Human Participants, and (10) Care and Use of Animals."
(28) Letter to the Editor, "Lincoln Star," December 19, 1984, as noted in
"Who Is Paul Cameron....," Ibid.
(29) "Who Is Paul Cameron?...," Ibid. See also Walter, Ibid. Cameron
would later attack the professionalism of the APA, calling it "pro-humanism,
anti-Christian, pro-selfism...pro- feminism, pro-gay, pro-abortion." He even
blamed the APA for being "partly responsible for the AIDS epidemic." See
Cameron, Letter to the Editor, "Nebraska Medical Journal," Ibid., March 1986.
(30) Walter, Ibid.
(31) Paul Cameron, Letter to the Editor, Louisville "Courier-Journal,"
August 30, 1986.
(32) John C. Long, "Sex Researcher Wants AIDS Victims Marked, Isolated From
Community," "Louisville Times," July 16, 1986. Cameron credited columnist
William F. Buckley with the branding idea. Bob Morse of WHAS-TV later
castigated Cameron as a "kook" (WHAS-TV News, July 22, 1986, 6:00 pm) and
applauded the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth for opening up one of their
nursing homes to people with AIDS.
(33) WHAS-TV News, March 9, 1987, 6:00 pm. Most of the audience members
were personally familiar to the author and his acquaintances as being gay or
lesbian.
(34) Fairness Campaign news release, March 13, 1992.
(35) David Walinski, "An Investigation...," Ibid.
(36) Paul Cameron, Letter to the Editor, "Nebraska Medical Journal," Ibid.,
March 1986, p. 80.
(37) Walter, Ibid.
***************************************************
Next text file is concerning his pamphlets, which he started disseminating in
the mid-1980s. See next message.
File on his 1980s pamphlets.
This report was initiated by the Kentucky Gay and Lesbian Educational Center
(now the Kentucky Gay and Lesbian Archives and Library, operated by the
Williams-Nichols Institute, Inc., of Louisville, Kentucky) with the following
objectives:
1. To investigate research done by the Institute for the Scientific
Investigation of Sexuality (ISIS) of Lincoln, Nebraska and its chairman of
the board, Paul Cameron, in order to determine its accuracy and validity.
2. To research Paul Cameron's background in order to gain deeper insight
into the man and thus, ultimately, his research.
Areas of investigation included nine pamphlets issued by ISIS on the subject
of homosexuality, the "gay lifestyle," and related issues; and articles and
letters to the editors of various magazines which have been written by or
about Paul Cameron. The nine pamphlets (copies of which are available for
free through the Williams-Nichols Institute, Inc.) are as follows:
1. "Medical Aspects of Homosexuality" (1985)
2. "Child Molestation and Homosexuality" (1985)
3. "Murder, Violence and Homosexuality" (1985)
4. "AIDS, The Blood Supply, and Homosexuality" (1985)
5. "What Homosexuals Do (Its [sic] More Than Disgusting)" (1986)
6. "The Psychology of Homosexuality" (1984)
7. "What Causes Homosexuality And Can It Be Cured?" (1984)
8. "Homosexuality: Everybody's Problem" (1985)
9. "Criminality, Social Disruption and Homosexuality" (1984)
In particular, the following questions were asked while performing this
study:
1. Does information footnoted in the ISIS pamphlets accurately reflect
information contained in the original sources?
2. Can the conclusions reached in the ISIS pamphlets and the articles by
Paul Cameron be supported by the sources referenced in those pamphlets and
articles?
3. Are the pamphlets consistent with one another?
All research was conducted by David Williams, Director of the
Williams-Nichols Institute, during 1986-1987. Of the 52 articles cited in
the pamphlets, 45 articles were located for this study. Of the 37 books, 10
books and the companion volume to another book were located. Of the 31
miscellaneous materials (pamphlets, court cases, newspaper articles, ISIS
publications, psychological papers, non-psychological magazines, electronic
broadcasts, etc.), only 2 ISIS publications were available. This study
therefore does not deal with every referenced quote in the nine ISIS
pamphlets, but only those for which source material was available at the time
of research. Quotes whose references were not available could not be
validated.
Most of the articles and books referenced by ISIS in its pamphlets were
available through the Health Sciences Library and the Ekstrom Library of the
University of Louisville; and the Louisville Free Public Library.
Because this study involved research of anti-gay materials by a gay and
lesbian organization, it was evident from the start that charges of bias
could very easily be made against this study. For this reason, every due
precaution was taken to ensure accuracy and to eliminate even the hint of
bias in the wording of this study. The Williams-Nichols Institute feels
confident that the results of this study can be replicated by any
disinterested researcher, given the same materials.
Based on its research of the nine ISIS pamphlets cited above, the
Williams-Nichols Institute, Inc. has reached the following conclusions.
1. ISIS, in these pamphlets, consistently uses studies of a
non-representative nature to make generalizations about homosexuals and
homosexual activity. Many of the authors of these articles and books clearly
state that the findings reached in their research are not to be extrapolated
to the homosexual population as a whole. One book ("Homosexualities," by
Bell and Weinberg, 1978) even goes so far as to say that "given the variety
of circumstances which discourage homosexuals from participating in research
studies, it is unlikely that any investigator will ever be in a position to
say that this or that is true of a given percentage of all homosexuals" (p.
22). The Bell and Weinberg book itself makes no claims to
representativeness; yet the ISIS pamphlets use data from this and many other
books and articles as if it were true of the general homosexual population.
2. In several instances, ISIS repeatedly uses information from a research
study which its Chairman, Paul Cameron, has criticized elsewhere as
inaccurate and not worth of more than a "D-" (see Nebraska Medical Journal,
March 1986, p. 80). "Homosexualities," by Bell and Weinberg, cited above, is
used in seven of the nine pamphlets, more than any other source except
one--Cameron's own 1983 study. Yet in his March 1986 letter to the Nebraska
Medical Journal, Cameron makes numerous criticisms of this same book and
concludes that "I would bet on the national generalizability of our study
rather than his findings," apparently forgetting that ISIS used
"Homosexualities" to back many of its claims! The greatest irony is that
Bell and Weinberg never claimed that their findings were generalizable to the
homosexual population in America in the first place!
3. In some instances, the ISIS pamphlets distort and even fabricate
statistics and findings to support their conclusions. These statistics and
findings cannot be found in the works cited as their sources.
4. The ISIS pamphlets show certain internal inconsistencies. To cite just
one example, Pamphlet #1 states that gays "average about 30 different sexual
partners per year" (p. 2). In Pamphlet #5, it's "somewhere between 20...and
106 different partners/year" (p. 1), which does not necessarily negate the
quote in Pamphlet #1, but is at least misleading. Pamphlet #7 claims that
gays average "perhaps 300 to 500 different partners in a lifetime" (pp. 1,
3), thereby lowering the annual average considerably. In Pamphlet #8, it's
an average of "30 to 100 different men each year" (p. 2). Other internal
inconsistencies are also evident.
5. Some statistics are misleading. for example, in Pamphlet #3, p. 2,
concerning homosexual versus heterosexual mass murders, Larry Eyler, a
homosexual, is listed as having murdered 19 men, when in actuality he was
merely suspected in most of these deaths, and convicted of only one of the
murders. Similarly, Wayne Williams, the Atlanta child murderer, is listed as
having murdered 23 individuals, when in fact he was convicted in only a
handful of those murders. Other misleading information is contained
throughout these pamphlets.
6. The ISIS pamphlets fail to define certain terms. For example, sometimes
the terms "gays" and "homosexuals" are used to refer to male homosexuals
only, while at other times they are used to refer to both male and female
homosexuals (lesbians). Which definition is being used at any particular
time is not always made clear.
7. Paul Cameron's own reliability is suspect. In a much publicized incident
reported by newspapers in Lincoln, Nebraska, Cameron stated that the genitals
of a four-year-old boy had been horribly mutilated by a homosexual in a local
restroom. Checks made by two independent newspapers, however, pointed out
that this and similar rumors had no factual basis; indeed, that police were
"baffled as to the origin of the story." When later pressed by the "Lincoln
Star" about the story, Cameron admitted that the rumor was without foundation
("Lincoln Star," May 10, 1982). He went on to insist, however, that it
"could be true." Such conduct tends to call into question not only his
character, but his abilities as a research, not to mention his motives. It
also casts doubt on the nature of research conducted by ISIS, of which
Cameron is Chairman.
8. Cameron's own reputation as a researcher has been called into serious
question by other psychologists, including former colleagues at the
University of Nebraska in Lincoln, and Dr. Alan Bell of the Kinsey Institute
in Bloomington, Indiana. Dr. Bell in particular has stated that "For him
[Cameron] to use our figures to estimate differences between homosexuals and
heterosexuals across the board in the general population is ludicrous" ("The
Advocate," October 29, 1985).
Drs. Robert D. Brown and James K. Cole, former colleagues of Cameron's, have
written that "Cameron's credibility as a scientist whose data and data
analyses can be trusted has been seriously compromised by evidence that he
has systematically distorted data to support assertions he has made regarding
homosexuality."
Dr. Nicholas Groth, Director of the Sex Offender Program at the Connecticut
Department of Correction, has complained to the Nebraska Board of Examiners
of Psychologists that Cameron "misrepresents my findings and distorts them to
advance his homophobic views." The American Psychological Association
dropped Cameron from its membership for "lack of cooperation with the
Committee on Scientific and Professional Ethics and Conduct" (according to
Cameron himself).
He has also been twice censured by the Nebraska Psychological Association and
once by the Midwest Sociological Society. The American Sociological
Association and the Society for the Study of Social Problems have both passed
resolutions recommending a critical evaluation of, and public response to,
Cameron's work.
Conclusions reached by the present study tend to support the responses of
these professional psychologists, sociologists, and organizations to Paul
Cameron and his writings.
9. Of minor note, certain inaccuracies, flaws, and typographical errors are
apparent in the footnotes in some of these pamphlets.
A detailed listing of available references used by ISIS to support its
claims, along with brief comments, is contained in Appendix A. A
non-definitive listing of articles by Paul Cameron, and a brief biography,
are presented in Appendix B.
JOURNALS
A sampling of the journals used in the ISIS pamphlets to support their
assertions. (For a complete list of all citations, send $15 to
Williams-Nichols Institute, Inc., PO Box 4264, Louisville, KY 40204).
Biggar, R.J., Melbye, M., Ebbesen, P., et al. Low t-lymphocyte ratios in
homosexual men. Journal of the American Medical Association, 1984, 251(11),
1441-1446. Cited in Pamphlet #5.
Pamphlet #5 uses this source as the basis for some of the general statistics
on homosexual activity, such as that 69% of gays used illegal drugs, average
number of sexual partners was 27, 86% engaged in "oral/penile" sexual
activity and 92% in "anal/penile" activity. This study was used, along with
others, to conclude that "Gays are an octopus of infection stretching across
the world."
The Biggar article is a study of 26 homosexuals from Aarhus and 106
homosexuals from Copenhagen, Denmark, and clearly notes that the participants
"were unlikely to be representative of the general homosexual community in
either city" (p. 1443) and therefore homosexuals in general. The
representativeness of the sample is made even less likely by the fact that
many of the Copenhagen homosexuals originally invited to participate in the
survey did not come "possibly owing to a hail storm at the time of the second
Copenhagen clinic" (p. 1443). Therefore, to make generalizations about all
homosexuals from the statistics in this small study is impossible.
Boushey, H.A., Warnock, D.G., and Smith, L.H. (Medical Staff Conference):
The acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)--a multidisciplinary enigma.
The Western Journal of Medicine, 1984, 140, 66-81. Cited in Pamphlet #4
Pamphlet #4 misspelled Dr. Boushey's name as "Boushet." It uses Boushey's
study to saw that "Mortality [of persons with AIDS] is almost 100% after 3
years from diagnosis, 80% after 2 years." At the time of Boushey's article,
this was true.
However, Pamphlet #4 goes on to say that "In every Western country in which
AIDS has been reported, the first persons stricken are gays, then, over time,
others become infected." The only western countries that the Boushey article
mention are the United States and Haiti. Boushey's article refers to men of
Italian and Jewish extraction but not to Italy, Israel, or any other country
per se. Even more telling, the article does not say anywhere that the first
persons stricken are gays, and then "others."
Finally, concerning blood donations by gays, Pamphlet #4 quotes Dr. Selma K.
Dritz of the Department of Public Health, City and County of San Francisco,
as saying that "Flatly ruling out blood donations from an entire segment of
society would be 'defamatory.'" Unfortunately, the first quote could not be
located and so we have no way at present of knowing it if its accurate; it
comes from an article in the "Wall Street Journal" for March 12, 1984. The
pamphlet further indicates that Dr. Dritz is "sophisticated" enough to "have
nine health workers in my roster." However, from the way in which Pamphlet
#4 is worded, it is not clear whether the word "sophisticated" was meant to
be constructed as part of a direct quote.
Broder, S., and Gallo, R.C. A pathogenic retrovirus (HTLV-III) linked to
AIDS. The New England Journal of Medicine, 1984, 311(2), 1292-1297. See
also Seligman, Chess, Fahey, et al., below. Cited in Pamphlet #4. Pamphlet
#4 lists this as "Special Articles" without distinguishing the authors of two
separate articles underneath this heading.
Pamphlet #4 uses this source and others to back its claim that "recent
summaries of AIDS prevention consider only a vaccine in the effort...to
provide disease control for all who are at risk." The pamphlet goes on to
state that health officials are reluctant co condemn homosexual acts "even
though gay sex is FAR more certainly damaging to health."
The Broder and Gallo study mentions seven "future goals" to be achieved in
the fight against AIDS, one of which is a vaccine, and none of which condemn
homosexual activity; the pamphlet is therefore correct in that assertion.
However, the Broder article is a discussion of the AIDS crisis by doctors
for doctors; i.e., it was written from a strictly medical viewpoint, as
opposed to a sociological or religious study. Comments on the morals of
those infected with the virus would therefore have been out of place.
Burgess, A.W., Groth, A.N., & McCausland, M.P. Child sex initiation rings.
American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 1981, 51(1), 110-119. Cited in
Pamphlet #2.
In Pamphlet #2, a table of child molestation statistics is printed, based on
numerous studies going back to 1953. The table purports to show the ratios
of heterosexual to homosexual assaults (3:5), and the ratios of girl to boy
victims (3:2). The problem with using the Burgess study in this manner is
that it is not representative of homosexuals in general: nowhere in the text
do the authors claim that their study can be generalized to the homosexual OR
heterosexual populations. As the study clearly states in the synopsis on p.
110, it is an outline of "the workings of child sex initiation rings" and
nothing more. At any rate, the sample is way too small: seven men involved
with 22 boys and 14 girls. Four of these rings were homosexual in nature,
two were heterosexual, and one man had sex with both male and female
children.
Cameron, P., Proctor, K., Coburn, W., et al. Sexual orientation and sexually
transmitted disease. Nebraska Medical Journal, August 1985, 292-299. Cited
in Pamphlet #5. See also Letters to the Editor from Joel Brodsky and Scott
Stebelman (October 1985); Paul Cameron (December 1985); Harry J. Crockett,
Jr. (Chair of the Department of Sociology, University of Nebraska at Lincoln)
and Paul Cameron (March 1986); all in the same journal.
The Cameron article describes in great detail the way in which a survey by
ISIS was conducted, and the results of that survey. This is the survey which
he continues to use as the basis for many of his claims about homosexuality
even today (1994). Included in the article were elaborate statistics and
tables. The findings of the article are similar in nature to those contained
in the nine ISIS pamphlets, and so there is no need to describe in further
detail what this one article says.
On the surface, the article seems to be authoritative and comprehensive:
most laymen would probably take it at face value. However, subsequent
letters to the editor of the "Nebraska Medical Journal," and Cameron's own
printed responses to those letters, cast severe doubts on the credibility of
this article and the ISIS random survey itself.
The most in-depth comments came from Drs. Robert D. Brown and James K. Cole
of Lincoln, Nebraska. Brown and Cole pointed out five major problems with
the Cameron article (and the ISIS survey):
1. Improper sampling process
2. Poor return rate on questionnaires
3. The questionnaire itself
4. Data analysis
5. Interpretation of data.
As Brown and Cole note, Cameron and his colleagues omitted significant
information about the sampling process. Cameron, et al., refer to a
"systematic area cluster sampling" process, yet no information is given on
how sampling areas were selected or how many areas and what neighborhoods
were finally selected. Cameron, et al., also fail to reveal why they chose
the five cities in their survey over other cities. Brown and Cole suggest
that these cities were merely "convenient" to the researchers, and indeed it
is curious that Paul Cameron has studied or taught in or near the five cities
that were used in this survey (Los Angeles, Denver, Omaha, Louisville, and
Washington DC). They also asked why sample areas in these five cities were
not proportionate in size (Omaha had more responses than Los Angeles). The
article did not explain this.
Concerning the return rate, Brown and Cole note that more than half of all
those who were provided questionnaires did not respond. "Experienced and
qualified researchers would not base any definitive conclusions on such a
limited return," Brown and Cole state, "and if they did, they would note the
limitations of their study and the possible lack of generalization of their
findings." Brown and Cole also wonder why the sampling method, as the
Cameron article states, "was somewhat biased toward soliciting homosexuals."
They also question a statement made in the Cameron article that "It was our
impression that sexually conservative people were more apt to refuse to
cooperate." As Brown and Cole comment, "This is the first we have heard in
our research experience that 'impressions' are acceptable and credible data."
The questionnaire itself seemed too lengthy to Brown and Cole, as did the
method of distributing the questionnaire. "How many people," they asked, "do
you know would voluntarily and honestly fill out a 550 item questionnaire
which queried them about highly personal habits and was administered by a
stranger who came to the door?...In no respectable community of survey
researchers would this be characterized as scientific." They also noted that
some people enjoy having a bit of fun with researchers and do not respond
truthfully. Cameron, et al., do not seem to have conducted any face-to-face
interviews--another problem with their survey techniques.
Brown and Cole noted major discrepancies in the data analysis as well as data
interpretation. They term the discussion section of the article
"demagoguery, not those that a serious scholar would make."
Perhaps the most telling portion of the Brown and Cole article concerns a
well-publicized incident involving Paul Cameron which occurred during a
referendum campaign in Lincoln, Nebraska for a gay rights ordinance in 1982.
Brown and Cole's summary of this incident is printed in its entirety below.
"Perhaps the most disturbing statement made by Dr. Cameron, however, occurred
at the University of Nebraska Lutheran Chapel on May 3, 1982. In a tape
recording obtained by the "Lincoln Star" newspaper, Cameron is quoted as
saying: 'Right now here in Lincoln there is a 4 year-old boy who has had his
genitals almost severed from his body at Gateway in a restroom with a
homosexual act.' A "Lincoln Star" article, May 8, 1982, was titled 'Cameron
Used False Report.' This article and articles in the "Star" and "Lincoln
Journal," May 6, 1982, pointed out that checks with Lincoln police indicated
that this and similar rumors about a 7 year-old boy and a 14 year-old son of
a prominent Lincoln family had no factual basis. Police were reported as
'baffled as to the origin of the story.' On May 10, 1982, the following
editorial statement appeared in the "Lincoln Star."
"'A leading opponent of the proposed Lincoln Human Rights Amendment spreads
rumors of an alleged vicious incident calculated to damage the proposal's
chances at the polls. When asked about it, he admits the rumor was without
foundation. He refused to say from whom he heard the rumor. He says he will
not use the rumor again unless he finds it to be true. Nonetheless, he still
insists it "could be true," even through [sic] responsible authorities in the
city say there is not a shred of evidence such an incident ever took place.
The seed is planted, to the contrary.'" [end of Brown and Cole quote]
Paul Cameron wrote a letter in response to Brown and Cole in the same journal
in March 1986 (pp. 76-81). Concerning the problems noted by Brown and Cole
in the sampling process, Cameron does something which should lay to rest any
further notions about his credibility as a researcher: he criticizes as
inaccurate a study which, on the other hand, his organization used in seven
of its pamphlets to supports its own conclusions!
The study in question is the same book which ISIS uses to support a
statistics that 90% of gays and 65% of lesbians engage in oral/anal sex.
This book is the Bell and Weinberg book, "Homosexualities" (1978). In his
March 1986 letter to the editor of the Nebraska journal, Cameron notes that
Bell and Weinberg matched 477 "mainly heterosexuals" with 979 homosexuals,
which he says "would, on the face of it, appear to be one of the more amazing
bits of 'matching magic' in the annals of science." He also cites other
problems with the Bell and Weinberg study which Cameron's own "random" study
allegedly did not have.
If this is Cameron's considered opinion of the Bell and Weinberg book, then
it is absolutely amazing that his organization would nevertheless use this
book to support its assertions in seven of its nine pamphlets. In other
words, Cameron's letter to the editor attempts to invalidate the very same
study that his group used elsewhere to validate its own claims! The greatest
irony in all of this is that the Bell and Weinberg study never claimed to be
representative of gays and lesbians in the first place; and so Cameron finds
himself in the dubious position of questioning the representativeness of a
study which its authors never claimed to be representative in the first
place! Bell himself has said that Cameron has misrepresented his data.
The rest of Cameron's response to Brown and Cole descends into comments on
their "character" and the professionalism of the American Psychological
Association, which he terms "pro-humanism, anti-Christian, pro-selfism...
pro-feminism, pro-gay, pro-abortion." He even blames the APA
for being "partly responsible for the AIDS epidemic."
Therefore, the 1983 ISIS study--which forms the basis for much of Cameron's
later claims about gays and lesbians--lacks credibility both within itself
and within the scientific community in general. Although it is used
throughout the ISIS pamphlets to support various outrageous claims and
statistics, it has no validity.
Corey, L., and Holmes, K.K. Sexual transmission of hepatitis A in homosexual
men. New England Journal of Medicine, 1980, 302(8), 435-438. Cited in
Pamphlets #4 and #5.
Pamphlets #4 and #5 use this study as the source for several assertions about
homosexual practices, such as that gays average 106 different partners per
year (which he says may be too low); that homosexuals ingest semen from half
of their partners (note that he uses "homosexuals" here, which would include
lesbians as well--another instance of inaccurate use of terms); and that 90%
of gays admit to oral/anal contact and 70% practice it regularly.
The problem is, the Corey study on which the pamphlet's assertions are based
cannot be generalized to the entire homosexual population: it makes no
claims of representativeness. The men studied were not a true random sample,
because all of them were patients of a sexually transmitted disease control
clinic in Seattle; that is to say, they all had reason to seek medical help
before the study was performed.
The Corey study involved "129 homosexual men who were enrolled at the
Harborview Medical Center's clinic for sexually transmitted disease in
Seattle, usually after treatment for gonorrhea or for other sexually
transmitted diseases" (p. 435). 102 of these were followed for at least
three months: this was the "study population." Six were later dropped from
the study. 57 heterosexual men with recurrent genital herpes simplex virus
infection were also recruited from the same clinic for the study (the ISIS
pamphlets do not mention these heterosexuals). The 102 homosexuals were
asked to keep diaries concerning "the time and type of each sexual contact
and the number of sexual partners." 96 of these diaries were useable. The
heterosexuals did not keep diaries but were interviewed monthly about their
sexual activity. Statistics were then culled from these self-reports.
The article is simply an attempt to discover if any particular sexual habits
might be conducive to infection by hepatitis A. The study concluded that
hepatitis A infection was "correlated with frequent oral-anal sexual contact"
(p. 435).
The ISIS pamphlets use this study to support several assertions, none of
which can be said to be true of the general homosexual population. Some of
the statistics ISIS uses are accurate for the study population of 96 gay men
and 57 heterosexuals; but they cannot be extrapolated to the general
population of either group because they do not represent a true random
sample.
Interestingly enough, the ISIS pamphlets use this one study to assert, at
various times, that gays average "30" (Pamphlet #4), "between 20 and 106"
(Pamphlet #5) and "closer to 100" (Pamphlet #5) sexual partners per year. In
the Corey study, 36 homosexuals had hepatitis A at the onset of the study or
contracted it during the study; these 36 homosexuals had an average of 2.3
partners per month with whom they engaged in oral/anal sex (or 28 partners
per year). 60 homosexuals who did not have the virus nor contract it during
the study averaged 1.4 partners per month (15 per year). ISIS does not make
this distinction between infected and non-infected men. The ISIS assertions
are therefore a total misrepresentation of the data in the Corey study.
Craft, M. Boy prostitutes and their fate. British Journal of Psychiatry,
1966, 112, 1111- 1114. Cited in Pamphlet #2.
The Craft article is a followup study of 33 boy prostitutes in Britain, 16 of
whom prostituted themselves "in the community" and 17 mainly in institutions.
The article clearly states that its selection of subjects is "small in
number and biased due to selection from a psychiatric practice among the
behaviourly disordered." Further basis were also mentioned. The study is
therefore not representative of male hustlers or their sexual partners.
Pamphlet #2 uses this study in the following statement: "A follow-up of 33
boy prostitutes reports that at least one had had homosexual relations with
one of his teachers...." This seems to be based on the following quote from
Craft: "Two community boys were admitted from approved schools where they
were successfully seducing prefects and one master" (p. 1113). First of all,
it is clear that the initiators of the sexual activity were the boys and not
the teacher; and secondly the article does not indicate that the teacher was
"his" teacher, as the ISIS pamphlet states: it could have been any teacher
("master") at the school.
Certainly any sexual activity between adults and children cannot be condoned.
The ISIS pamphlet, however, totally distorts the Craft study because it uses
the study in the context of homosexuals who seduce young men. This is a
particularly clear instance of the ways in which Isis tends to twist
statistics in totally inappropriate ways to make its points.
Fitch, J.H. Men convicted of sexual offences against children. British
Journal of Criminology, 1962, 3, 18-37. Cited in Pamphlet #2.
The ISIS pamphlet states that this is a study of 147 men convicted of
pedophilia. However, Fitch clearly states that eight of these men had to be
excluded, leaving 139 men for the study (p. 18). 77 of these men were
convicted of heterosexual offenses, and 62 of homosexual ones (p. 18),
creating a ratio of 1.24:1 heterosexual:homosexual, not 1:1, as the ISIS
pamphlet indicates. Of the 61 men who had more than one conviction for a
sexual offense, 11 had committed both homosexual and heterosexual offenses.
No distinction for these 11 men is made in the total of 139 men, however.
The Fitch article states clearly that "this study is submitted solely as an
example of the possibilities afforded to the differential treatment of
offenders by a system of classification." Since all of these men were in
prison at the time of the study, they do not represent either heterosexuals
or homosexuals in general. Thus, none of the statistics can be extrapolated
to the general population of either group.
Franklin, D. Chimps infected with AIDS-linked virus. Science News, 1984,
126, 261. Cited in Pamphlet #4.
Pamphlet #4 quotes Dr. Robert Gallo as saying that the AIDS virus is
undergoing genetic change "more rapidly than I would have expected...." But
the pamphlet fails to mention what Dr. Gallo said immediately after that:
"the transformation is not nearly as rapid as that of many influenza viruses
that have eluded vaccine traps through quick genetic adaptation. There is as
yet no evidence...that the relatively mild variation among AIDS- related
isolates would necessitate the use of more than one vaccine" (p. 261). The
ISIS pamphlet chooses to use the most starting portion of Dr. Gallo's quote
to make its point, when, in its original context, the passage dealing with
the genetic transformations of HIV is not quite as frightening.
Groth, A.N. Sexual trauma in the life histories of rapists and child
molesters. Victimology, 1979, 4(1), 10-16. Cited in Pamphlet #2.
This is a study of 348 men "convicted of sexual assault and referred to a
security treatment center for diagnostic observation" (p. 11): hardly a
representative sample of heterosexuals or homosexuals, which the study
readily admits: "...this investigation into sexual trauma in the life
histories of rapists and child molesters is retrospective and reconstructive
in design rather than rigorous, highly detailed, and tightly controlled..."
(p. 15). 170 of these men sexually assaulted adult victims, and 178 sexually
assaulted child victims (p. 11). Of these 348 men, 106 reported evidence of
some form of sexual trauma during their developmental years (ages 1-15) (p.
11).
At any rate, ISIS completely distorts the one statistic it uses from the
Groth study. ISIS uses this study to claim the following: "Apparently at
least 2 of the 106 rapists and child molesters in [Groth] had had homosexual
relations with teachers." There is only one mention of teachers anywhere in
the Groth article: "In examining the relationships between subjects and
their assailants...thirty-five (33 percent) were close associates: friends,
neighbors, teachers, and the like" (p. 13). The sex of the teachers is not
mentioned and could therefore have been female. Furthermore, there is no
mention of "two" teachers. The way in which the Groth article uses the word
"teachers" can be construed as a generalization and not a specific; much as
we speak of "lions and tigers and bears" when there may be only one lion.
The ISIS pamphlet abuses Groth's statistics in this instance to a
considerable degree.
Groth, A.N., & Birnbaum H.J. Adult sexual orientation and attraction to
underage persons. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 1978, 7(3), 175-181. Cited
in Pamphlet #2.
This article clearly states that "Homosexuality and homosexual pedophilia are
not synonymous. In fact, it may be that these two orientations are mutually
exclusive, the reason being that the homosexual male is sexually attracted to
masculine qualities whereas the heterosexual male is sexually attracted to
feminine characteristics, and the sexually immature child's qualities are
more feminine than masculine....In any case, in over 12 years of clinical
experience working with child molesters, we have yet to see any example of a
regression from an adult homosexual orientation" (pp. 180-181). The study
even notes the possibility that "the adult heterosexual male constitutes a
greater risk to the underage child than does the adult homosexual male" (p.
175).
The Groth and Birnbaum study was a random sample of 175 males convicted of
sexual assault against children, and thus was not representative of
homosexuals in general. The ISIS pamphlet fails to note this, however.
Pamphlet #2 uses this study to show that homosexuals are more apt to commit
child molestation than heterosexuals. But any statistics quoted by ISIS
represent a distortion of the study it references.
Landis, J.T. Experiences of 500 children with adult sexual deviation.
Psychiatric Quarterly Supplement, 1956, 30, 91-109. Cited in Pamphlet #2.
Pamphlet #2 uses this study to support a statistic in Table 1 which indicates
that the ratio of heterosexual or homosexual assaults reported by Landis was
3:2. However, the Landis study clearly states that "the sample in the
present study is not a random sample" (p. 92) and that "the limitations of
the questionnaire method are recognized" (p. 93). It notes that the
information in the responses is "useful in discovering experience patterns"
(p. 93), but it does not extrapolate its findings to any population,
heterosexual or homosexual. The ISIS pamphlet is therefore once again
misleading. There are also some errors in ISIS's ratios: the ratio of girls
to boys who responded to the questionnaire are almost 3:1, not 1:1 (as in
ISIS' pamphlet), and the women mentioned 531 sexual offenses to 215 for the
men, a ratio of 3:1.2, not 3:2.
Levy, J.A., Hoffman, A.D., Kramer, S.M., et al. Isolation of lympocytopathic
retroviruses from San Francisco patients with AIDS. Science, 1984, 225,
840-842. Cited in Pamphlet #8.
Pamphlet #8 uses this study to support the following quote: "As of August
1984...the profound promiscuity of gays has resulted in evidence that over
half of U.S. homosexuals have been infected with the retrovirus believed to
cause AIDS." But this conclusion cannot be reached from the Levy study. The
Levy article indicates that "infectious retroviruses have been detected in 22
of 45 randomly selected patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome and
in other individuals from San Francisco" (less than "half.") However, this
article is confined to the San Francisco area; it makes no claims to findings
in other areas and in no way suggests that "over half of U.S. homosexuals
have been infected with the retrovirus": a bald-faced lie by the authors of
the ISIS pamphlet.
Marwick, C. (Medical News): "Confidentiality" issues may cloud
epidemiologic studies of AIDS. Journal of the American Medical Association,
1983, 250(15), 1945-1946. Cited in Pamphlet #1.
The ISIS quote in Pamphlet #1 is as follows:
"This emphasis upon 'protecting gays' feelings' has led the Centers for
Disease Control (CDC) to suspend normal tracking systems for individuals
infected with communicable disease. (Earlier, Dr. Allen of the AIDS Task
Force said, 'We hope this [tracking] will allow us to keep tabs on individual
cases. Because many of these patients are highly mobile, the CDC needs
identifying information on cases so as to avoid duplicate reporting...[and to
track] down mortality and the sequences of infections.' By compromising
normal tracking at the demand of the National Gay Task Force ('studies of
this type will definitely be held up,' stated Dr. Allen), our lives are being
endangered to placate gay feelings."
These quotes (which are accurate) are from an article on AIDS and the issue
of confidentiality written after the topic arose at a series of meetings on
aids in Washington, DC in the summer of 1983. The main gist of this article
was the importance of confidentiality that needs to be placed on reporting of
AIDS cases to the CDC. "Homosexuality and drug abuse are illegal in a number
of states," the article mentions. "Thus, many persons in AIDS risk groups
conceivably might be charged with crimes or lose their jobs if their names
were released to law enforcement agencies." Jeff Levi, then the Washington
representative of the National Gay Task Force, clearly states in the article
that "We could not be more interested in the gathering of accurate
information about AIDS. But we also firmly believe that reporting mechanisms
must guarantee confidentiality." another gay leader noted that "The gay
community must have confidence in what health professionals are doing."
The ISIS pamphlet implies that normal tracking procedures for communicable
diseases have been compromised, but this is totally misleading. The normal
system has been modified so that the gay community and local health
departments will feel less reluctant to report cases of AIDS to the CDC. As
Dr. Allen notes, "we were at the point where some health departments were
refusing to send us names of patients or indeed anything at all" because of
lack of assurance of confidentiality. The call for confidentiality was
therefore not just a gay "demand."
In other words, the new system, far from endangering lives to placate gay
feelings, as the ISIS pamphlet states, was designed to ensure more accurate
reporting of all cases of AIDS through a new system of confidential checks.
Mavligit, G.M., Talpaz, M., Hsia, F.T., et al. Chronic immune stimulation by
sperm alloantigens. Journal of the American Medical Association, 1984,
251(2), 237-241. Cited in Pamphlets #1, 4, 5, 7, and 8. [Mavligit's name
was consistently misspelled in the ISIS pamphlets as "Manligit."] This is
one of Cameron's favorite sources.
The Mavligit study consisted of 15 male couples and one heterosexual couple.
It is therefore not representative of homosexuals in general and never
claimed to be. ISIS, however, consistently abused and misused data from this
study to make its assertions.
For instance, Pamphlet #1 mentions that "...when deposited in the rectum,
sperm breaks through the single layer of columnar epithelium and causes
massive immunological disruptions in the blood system..." Mavligit, however,
among other statements notes that "The frequent laceration of the sperm
recipient's rectal mucosa, coupled with the presence of colonic bacteria, may
not only create a better contact between the sperm and the immune apparatus
present in the blood and lymph but also provide an adjuvant effect toward
enhanced alloimmunization." In other words, Mavligit notes that sperm under
certain circumstances may break through the epithelium, but that this is not
necessarily true every time.
Later, Pamphlet #1 indicates that no gay relationships studied by Mavligit
lasted more than 60 months--a totally misleading statement. The gay couples
in the study had been together from nine to sixty months at the time of the
study, and by all indications these relationships were still going strong.
The sixty months figure refers to the longest lasting relationship in the
study group; in other words, the relationship had not ended, but the ISIS
pamphlet indicates otherwise. Cameron has used the 60-month statistic in
numerous places.
Pamphlet #1 also says that monogamous gays are "about as apt to develop AIDS
as 'wild ones'": another misrepresentation. The Mavligit article merely
postulates that "the development of sperm-induced immune dysregulation may
only predispose the anal-sperm- recipient homosexual males to the more severe
phenomena of opportunistic infections and Kaposi's sarcoma." At the time of
the study, the HTLV-III virus had not yet been isolated, and Mavligit was
merely proposing a scenario for development of AIDS.
In Pamphlet #7, ISIS uses this same study to conclude that "almost all gays
are wildly promiscuous." The Mavligit study, on the other hand, consisted of
"fifteen couples of healthy, asymptomatic, monogamous homosexual males" (p.
239) and one heterosexual couple. There is no way that ISIS could have
deduced wild homosexual promiscuity from this research.
Other quotations throughout these pamphlets are equally as misleading or
false. But, as noted earlier, the Mavligit study never pretended to be a
representative sample of homosexual males in the first place.
McCaghy, C.H. Child molesting. Sexual Behavior, 1971, 1(5), 16-24. Cited
in Pamphlets #2 and 8.
Pamphlet #2 uses this article to support its conclusion that "...homosexual
offenders probably constitute about half of molesters who work with
children." This is worded essentially the same was as McCaghy wrote it.
However, her article cannot be generalized to the entire
population--homosexual or heterosexual. It is a study of "158 molesters
incarcerated or on probation in Wisconsin in 1964. All were at least 18
years old and their victims were 13 years or younger" (p. 23): certainly not
a representative sample. Any statistics in the ISIS pamphlets which use Dr.
McCaghy's research cannot therefore be extrapolated to the general homosexual
population.
McKusick, L., et al. AIDS and sexual behavior reported by gay men in San
Francisco. American Journal of Public Health, 1985, 75(5), 493-96. Cited in
Pamphlet #5. Another one of Cameron's favorite sources.
Pamphlet #5 uses this study in several places, including the following: "The
McKusick study of 655 gays concluded that 'knowledge of health guidelines was
quite high, but this knowledge had no relation to sexual behavior.' Indeed.
Only 24% of his sample claimed to have been monogamous in the past year, and
of these 'gay good guys' 5% drank urine, 7% incorporated a fist up their
rectum, 33% ingested feces, 53% swallowed semen, and 59% received semen in
their rectum in the past month!"
Unfortunately for Cameron, the McKusick study can in no way be thought of as
representative: "The interpretations that follow," he says, "are made with
recognition of the study's inherent limitations: the sample is not random
and the response rate from those who were given the questionnaire is low;
retrospective data on sexual behavior one year ago may not be wholly
reliable." The McKusick study was of 655 gay males in San Francisco in
November 1983, when the bathhouses were still open and the virus that causes
AIDS had still not been isolated.
Pitchenik, A.E., Fischl, M.A., & Spira, T.J. Acquired immune deficiency
syndrome in low- risk patients: evidence for possible transmission by an
asymptomatic carrier. Journal of the American Medical Association, 250(1),
1310-1312. Cited in Pamphlet #1.
Pamphlet #1 states the following: "Toweling and general living around a
homosexual with AIDS appears to have infected some," using Pitchenik's
article as a reference. However, there is no mention of toweling or "general
living around a homosexual" anywhere in this article. The Pitchenik article
in no way supports the ISIS conclusion.
This is a study of two cases of AIDS which were transmitted by unknown means.
The first was a woman infected by her husband, an IV drug abuser. She had a
gay brother who lived in a different household and who was in good health.
The extent of their contact was not mentioned in the article. Her only risk
factor was regular sexual contact with her husband.
The second case was a man who received the infection by unknown means.
However, he did have an affair with "his girlfriend" about three years or
more before onset of symptoms. He also had a gay brother in a different
household who was in good health; their contact was "minimal."
Both cases apparently involved heterosexual transmission of the AIDS virus;
the source of infection in the second cases was unknown but probably came
from his affair of three years before. There is therefore no basis in this
article for ISIS' claims: they are completely false.
Rezza, G., et al. AIDS in Italy. Lancet, 1984, 2, 642. Cited in Pamphlet
#4.
Pamphlet #4 uses this letter to the editor of Lancet to note that "at least
44% of the gays with AIDS in Italy had had sex with U.S. sodomites."
This letter contains a table showing all ten cases of AIDS in Italy up to the
time of writing (July 31, 1984). Eight of these cases were gay; three of
them had traveled to the United States, and one had traveled to both the
United States and France. Thus, only 37$ (three cases of AIDS) could be
identified positively as having originated in the United States.
Furthermore, the letter does not indicate how these individuals contracted
the disease. It mentions sexual intercourse as only a "possible source of
infection." The ISIS pamphlet totally distorts data enumerated in this
letter.
Swanson, D.W. Adult sexual abuse of children. Diseases of the Nervous
System, 1968, 22, 677-683. Cited in Pamphlet #2.
Pamphelt #2 uses this study to support one of its statistics on child
molestation, but Swanson says very clearly that "the present paper reports on
an unselected sample of men who sexually abused children" (p. 678).
Interview techniques differed from man to man as well. Finally, the sample
was way too low to draw conclusions to the general population of child sex
offenders, much less homosexuals: 25.
This study was merely an"effort to define the environmental circumstances
contributing to a sexual offense against children" (p. 683). ISIS' use of
this material to make generalizations about child offenders if therefore
unjustifiable.
Swigert, V.L., Farrell, R.A., & Yoels, W.C. Sexual homicide: Social,
psychological and legal aspects. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 1976, 5(5),
391-401. Cited in Pamphlet #3.
Pamphlet #3 uses this study thusly: "The only systematic study of sexual
murders in one jurisdiction was reported by Swigert, Farrell and Yoels in
1976." The only problem here is that Swigert, et al., are dealing with only
five murders, three of which were homosexual in nature.
444 homicide cases in "a large urban jurisdiction in the northeast" were
selected for the study. Of these, five qualified as "sexual homicides,"
three of which were homosexual. The study itself states that the
characteristics of sexual homicide which it has discovered are of
"theoretical interest."
ISIS says that the Swigert study "suggests that about 60% of all sexual
murders involve homosexuality," but the Swigert study suggests no such thing
because the sample size is way too small to draw any conclusions like this
one.
An equation of homosexuality and violent crime is an especial trademark of
Paul Cameron's work.
Tindall, R.H. The male adolescent involved with a pederast becomes an adult.
Journal of Homosexuality, 1978, 3(4), 373-382. Cited in Pamphlet #2.
Tindall notes in several places that this study of nine men was not
representative, or at least that "We do not know how representative these
cases are" (p. 375). The ISIS pamphlet notes that one of these nine men had
had homosexual relations with his teacher. Tindall points out that this man
"has had no desire for homosexual relations since age 20," that he was 46 at
the time of the study, and has a family of three children (p. 375)--
apparently none the worse for his experience. But ISIS fails to mention all
this.
Virkunnen, M. Victim-precipitated pedophilia offenses. British Journal of
Criminology, 1975, 15(2), 175-180. Cited in Pamphlet #2.
Pamphlet #2 uses this study to support one of its statistics that the ratio
of girl to boy victims of pedophilia in Helsinki was 2:1 (or 67%-33%).
However, it is not a representative study, which consisted of "all the
pedophilia cases of the years 1951 to 1972 which had been subjected to mental
examination at the Psychiatric Clinic of the Helsinki University Central
Hospital" (p. 176)--hardly a representative sample, especially when we
consider that neither the gender nor the sexual orientation of the offenders
is even mentioned by Virkunnen! Mention is merely made that 23 of the 64
victims were male and 41 female. The study involved 64 cases of pedophilia
in toto, of which 31 were precipitated by the child and not the offender (p.
179).
This is a particularly sad article to read because it discusses in detail the
mental deficiencies of both the victim and the offender in many cases, with
the emphasis on the victim.
BOOKS
Bell, A.P. Homosexualities: their range and character. In Cole, J.K., &
Dienstbier, R. (Eds.), Nebraska Symposium on Motivation. Lincoln, Nebraska:
University of Nebraska Press, 1973, 1-25. Cited in Pamphlet #7.
Pamphlet #7 uses this article in the following context: "There are six lines
of evidence which suggest that homosexual habits are learned:....1) in the
1940's, before the gay rights movement, Kinsey & company asked 1,700
homosexuals why they thought they had become homosexual (fn 1). In 1970, the
Kinsey group asked 979 gays the same question with almost identical results
(fn 2)."
Footnote 1 refers to a study by Gebhard and Johnson which was not available
to this present study. Footnote 2 refers to the Bell article, which shows
that when gay men were asked why they thought they had become homosexual,
"the majority of the white males did not mention parental influence at all.
Of those who did, the largest numbers mentioned an absent or distant father
and/or a dominating or suffocating and overprotective mother. Of those who
mentioned nonparental factors, 16% thought that their early homosexual
experiences were responsible for their becoming homosexual, 15% said that
they had simply been born that way, and 10% spoke of factors which resulted
in an opposite-sex gender identification." The ISIS pamphlet shows that only
9% thought they were born that way. Other statistics in the ISIS pamphlet do
not correspond with the Bell article but may have been derived in some
fashion from the Beghard study or some combination of Bell and Gebhard.
Even with the slim evidence from the Bell article, however, it is difficult
to determine how the ISIS pamphlet arrived at the conclusion that the
majority of homosexuals "learned" to be homosexual in this study. Bell's
statistics are too sketch for such a conclusion.
Cruikshank, M. Lesbian studies: present and future. New York: Feminist
Press, 1982. Cited in Pamphlet #2.
Pamphlet #2 notes here that two lesbian teacher-pupil interactions are
documented at pp. 15 and 27 of the book. This is true, but ISIS fails to
mention that one of the cases involved a college student and a college
teacher. The age of the student is never mentioned by ISIS. The student and
the teacher became involved in a relationship that lasted eight years. It is
entirely inappropriate, therefore, for the ISIS pamphlet to use this latter
case in a pamphlet on child molestation (Pamphlet #2).
The first case involved a 21-year old teacher at an Episcopal girls' school
in Vicksburg, Mississippi. The teacher had one encounter with a student
while employed at the school. Over the next seven years the teacher had no
other non-relational encounters. Her employer, who eventually became head of
the Episcopal Church in America, threatened to fire her for "corrupting the
youth." However, she kept her job. She is now a college teacher with tenure
at another location.
Gebhard, P.H., Gagnon, J.H., Pomeroy, W.B., & Christenson, C.V. Sex
offenders: an analysis of types. New York: Harper and Row, 1965. Cited in
Pamphlets #2, #4, #6, #7, #8, and #9.
ISIS uses this book in six of its nine pamphlets to support statistics and
other claims which it says are true of all homosexuals, such as that about
60% of homosexuals do not want to have monogamous relationships, that the
longest gay relationships last no more than three years, that homosexuals are
more frequently associated with criminality, about 2/3 of gays have sex in
public toilets, at least 1/4 of gays have sex with children, and various
statistics on urinating, fisting, S&M, etc.
But the book clearly states on p. 14 that "One of our basic assumptions is
that our data are unsuited to elaborate statistical treatment, and that
measures of statistical significance and expected variation are not
ordinarily helpful, since our data are not derived from probability
sampling." The Beghard study consisted of 1,356 white males who had been
convicted of one or more sexual offenses; 888 white males who had never been
convicted for a sex offense but who had been convicted for some other
misdemeanor or felony; and 477 white males who had never been convicted for
anything beyond traffic violations. Most of the men studied were
heterosexual.
ISIS uses this book to make claims on everything from child molestation to
bestiality, but none of its statistics can be generalized to the entire
homosexual population.
Paul, W. Homosexuality and the law. In Paul, W., Weinrich, J.d., Gonsiorek,
J.C., and Hotvedt, M.E. (eds.), Homosexuality: social, psychological and
biological issues. Beverly Hills: Sage, 1982. Cited in Pamphlet #2.
ISIS uses this article to support the following statement near the beginning
of Pamphlet #2: "DO HOMOSEXUALS MOLEST THE UNDERAGE? Common opinion answers
'yes' while gay activists claim that homosexuals are proportionately less
frequently involved with children and charges."
Gay activists make these claims because they are supported by statistics:
"Anti-homosexual spokespersons have even contended that homosexuals are
child molesters," the Paul article states, "even though reputable studies
show that only a minuscule fraction of sexual assaults on children are
committed by women or by homosexual males" (p. 275). Paul notes further that
"Child molestation is a mental illness (pedophilia) having no connection with
sexual preference....Moreover, since heterosexual teachers do not seem to be
able to change gay students' sexual preference, how the reverse is to be
accomplished is yet to be explained" (p. 327).
At any rate, the editors clearly state on p. 19 of their book that "...this
volume is not a comprehensive study of homosexual behavior; the subject is
far too complex." Similar thoughts are expressed throughout the book.
The ultimate irony in all this may be found on the dedication page:
"Dedicated to Clara Mayo...who fought against the poison of labels, and for
the individuality of all people." The ISIS pamphlet unfortunately does not
proceed in the same spirit.
Saghir, M.T., and Robins, E. Male and female homosexuality: a comprehensive
investigation. Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins, 1973. Cited in Pamphlets
#6 and #9.
Pamphlets #6 and #9 make various claims on the criminality of homosexuals and
use this book to support its claims. For example, Pamphlet #6 states that
homosexuals "generally are more frequently associated with criminality..."
and that "homosexuals much more frequently attempt suicide...." Pamphlet #9
uses the Saghir and Robins study to claim that homosexuals are less stable
and are more involved in criminal activity.
None of these claims is supported by Saghir and Robins, who clearly state in
a special section called "Representativeness of the Samples" (p. 14) that "we
entertained no illusions concerning representative samples although we
realized that this would be the most desirable experimental situation....At
the present time, a sampling procedure of this nature is not possible with
homosexuals due to the social and legal stigmata attached to
homosexuality...."
Williams, C.J., and Weinberg, M.S. Homosexuals and the military. New York:
Harper and Row, 1971. Cited in Pamphlet #6.
Pamphlet #6 uses this study to assert that homosexuals "know that they do
wrong and that with effort they could quit." The Williams and Weinberg
survey, however, is not representative of the entire homosexual population:
"It is clear that we can make no claims of representativeness for our
sample....generalizations from our findings, therefore, are only suggestive."
CERTAIN COMMENTS ON "WHAT HOMOSEXUALS DO (ITS [sic] MORE THAN MERELY
DISGUSTING)" (LINCOLN, NEBRASKA: INSTITUTE FOR THE SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION
OF SEX, 1986)
By David Williams
In the opening paragraph of this pamphlet, ISIS quotes Thomas Jefferson as
saying that homosexuality "should be punished, if a man, by castration, if a
woman, by cutting through the cartilage of her nose a hole of one-half inch
in diameter at least." ISIS uses Jefferson's words as a basis for arguing in
pamphlet cites something called "Pines by Back to Basics, NY: Morrow, 1982,
p. 211" as the source for the quote.
The reference in itself is confusing. What does ISIS mean "Pines by"? Is
this the name of a man or an organization? And if a man, what are his
initials? This is exceedingly sloppy work unbefitting a pamphlet which on
the surface at least attempts to appear scholarly.
Despite this problem, I managed to locate the book at the Louisville Free
Public Library. It is by Burton Yale Pines, who, at the time of the writing
of the book, was Vice President of the Heritage Foundation, a conservative
think tank which is often credited with the idea that "gay rights is special
rights."
There are four problems with ISIS' quote. The first is a technicality,
albeit an important one; the second, an omission; the third, failure to take
heed of the quote in the context of Pines' book; the fourth, failure to
understand the historical context of the quote.
First of all, the quote in Pines' book says that those found guilty of sodomy
"shall" be punished, not "should" be, as in the ISIS pamphlet. This may not
seem a very important distinction to many people, but in a court of law it
makes a great deal of difference whether a person shall or should be
punished. The word "shall" carries much greater weight than the word
"should," a weaker word associated more with personal opinion than with legal
dictates.
ISIS has thus misquoted not only Mr. Pines, but, as we shall see, Mr.
Jefferson. (It is the only instance I have discovered thus far where the
pamphlet is more lenient than its source material).
The second problem arises from ISIS' failure to use the entire quote. In
ISIS' pamphlet, we are led to believe that Jefferson's quote pertains only to
homosexuals, but this is not the case. The entire quote from Jefferson, as
printed in Pines' book, is as follows:
"Whosoever shall be guilty of rape, polygamy, or sodomy with man or women,
shall be punished, if a man, by castration, if a woman, by cutting through
the cartilage of her nose a hole of one-half inch in diameter at the least."
In other words, rapists, polygamists, and heterosexuals who engage in
sodomitic practices with members of the opposite sex are to suffer the same
fate as homosexuals. Jefferson's proposal was therefore aimed not just at
homosexuals, but at many heterosexuals as well.
Granted that ISIS' pamphlet deals only with homosexuals; perhaps the
institute would argue that it is not pertinent to mention Jefferson's views
on heterosexual criminals. Yet the real sense of the quote is askewed by
failure to print it in its entirety. It would be as if Jefferson had written
about "life and liberty" but left out "the pursuit of happiness."
The third problem with this quote comes from the context of Pines' book
itself. Immediately after mentioning Jefferson's proscriptions, Pines goes
on to say that "Restoring such grisly penalties, of course, is not what
Americans have been demanding. Yet they do want criminals treated less
indulgently than they have been." He also chides a Northern California
member of the Moral Majority later in the book for suggesting that the death
penalty be restored for homosexuals. Considering that Paul Cameron of ISIS
has publicly suggested that AIDS victims be branded on their faces with
indelible ink, one wonders if he is to be included with the Americans that
Pines mentions.
The greatest irony may be that, although Pines in general condemns
homosexuality and any effort to lend validity to the "gay lifestyle," he does
state that "Teaching understanding and tolerance of homosexual couples may be
a commendable exercise in pluralistic America." ISIS does not mention this
passage.
Finally, the fourth and most important problem, which involves the historical
context of the quote.
Before the time of the American Revolution, many crimes which today might
merit only a stiff jail sentence were punishable by death--usually hanging.
Because sodomy was considered a capital offense, a number of homosexuals met
their fates at the gallows. The whole thrust of Jefferson's bill, on the
other hand, was to make the punishment more clearly fit the crime.
Modern man feels repugnance at the very thought of legal castrations or
mutilations, but in Jefferson's day it would have appeared to be a measure of
compassion of sorts. In other words, Jefferson's bill, far from being
barbaric, was actually a reform measure designed to eliminate capital
punishment for these and most other crimes in favor of less severe penalties.
However "enlightened" Jefferson's views might have been the State of Virginia
was not as willing to lessen the old penalties, and Jefferson's bill lost in
the House of Delegates by one vote.
Jefferson later had second thoughts about portions of his bill which
advocated hard labor for certain crimes: not even hard labor seemed to solve
the problem of crime in his day. An so perhaps his views on the punishment
of sodomy also changed with the passage of years. But, if they did, to my
knowledge they have not been recorded.
We can thus see from the above how dangerous it can be to pull quotes from
famous men and women of the past and attempt to apply them to modern
situations. The practice may never be eradicated, but hopefully its effects
may be blunted by more careful research and a greater attention to detail.